(GAPS Diet, Primal, Grain-Free, Probiotic)

Kayla Ruetten

August 23, 2024

This creamy probiotic pumpkin pie smoothie is packed with brain healthy fats and will satisfy any craving without the crash or guilt of unhealthy ingredients. Packed with cream, honey, pumpkin, and spices, this GAPS diet approved smoothie is perfect for dessert, breakfast, or just a satisfying snack. Our kids have been making this recipe almost every week for the past several months. This healthy probiotic pumpkin pie smoothie uses fermented kefir cream, but you can use regular cream or coconut cream as well.

2 cups of probiotic pumpkin pie smoothie with kefir cream in 2 cups on table

Why You Will Love This Probiotic Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Taste. This smoothie tastes exactly like a sugary pumpkin pie. The fall flavors make it hard to resist!
Quick & easy to prepare. This recipe can be made in less than 5 minutes with only a handful of ingredients.
Healing diet friendly. This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free (optional), sugar-free, and egg-free. Whether you are eating GAPS, Paleo, whole food, Whole30, or just becoming more ingredient aware, this recipe is compatible with many healing diets.
Naturally sweetened. We have made this recipe with both raw honey and with pure maple syrup. Both are excellent and eliminate the need for refined and processed sugar.
Customizable. You can use regular or fermented cream or coconut cream. Substitute butternut squash or sweet potato for the pumpkin if desired.

Health Benefits of Smoothies

Smoothies are definitely a staple in our home for both meals and snacks, as they are a great way to add in minerals, vitamins, probiotics, healthy fats, and protein in one delicious recipe. This probiotic pumpkin pie smoothie tastes like a traditional pumpkin pie dessert, and I love that my children are enjoying it as a staple. Check out this recipe for another kid-favorite probiotic berry smoothie.

What is Kefir Cream?

Some call kefir cream “cultured cream”, “sour cream”, or “crème fraiche”. In essence, it is fermented cream, similar to how yogurt is fermented milk. Home-fermented dairy is much easier to digest than commercial dairy products and can often be consumed even by those with dairy sensitivities. We use our home-fermented kefir cream and milk kefir in recipes such as ice cream, artichoke dip, soups, smoothies, cake frosting, and desserts. Even those of us with lactose intolerance or dairy sensitivities can have our cream and eat it too! You can make this recipe using regular cream or fermented.

pumpkin puree and kefir cream dollop in a bowl with immersion blender

Health Benefits of Kefir Cream

For best taste and nutrition, choose cream from pasture raised cows who use organic practices, if possible. Raw milk from healthy cows contains a much richer nutrient profile than commercially available pasteurized and homogenized milk. Our family feels comfortable consuming home fermented dairy products made from raw milk. If you want to find a local farmer with raw milk, check your local Weston Price Chapter. If you cannot source raw milk directly from a farmer, use pasture raised, organic cream from the store. Try to avoid anything ultra pasteurized. Kefir cream contains B vitamins, biotin, vitamin K2, and active enzymes. For more information about the science behind fermented dairy (and even how to potentially cure a dairy allergy), see this post.

What is the difference between milk kefir and kefir cream?

Milk kefir is made by fermenting milk, using kefir grains. For more information on buying grains and step by step instructions for making your first batch, see this post.

Kefir cream is made by fermenting cream, using a bit of kefir as the “starter”.

How to Make Kefir Cream (Or cultured cream, crème fraiche, sour cream…)

Combine 1 cup of raw or organic, pasture-raised cream and 1 heaping tablespoon of milk kefir in a jar with an airtight lid
Shake the jar to combine
Allow the jar of cream to ferment at room temperature for 12-24 hours until thick and creamy

Helpful Tools to Make Probiotic Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

immersion blender or standing blender
stainless steel mixing bowl
stainless steel drinking straws (optional-fun for kids)
mason jars
measuring cups and spoons

How to Make Probiotic Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Ingredients

2 cups pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup kefir cream, regular cream, or coconut cream
1/4 cup butter, softened
4 eggs (pastured – or just the egg yolks)..omit if uncomfortable using raw eggs
3/4 cup honey
2 tspn vanilla
1 tspn ginger (ground)
3 tspn cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves

Instructions

Pour all ingredients into a mixing bowl and blend with immersion blender or standing standing blender.
Blend until smooth.
Serve with an additional dollop of kefir cream, if desired.